Winter Vacation Situation

Drain spout stalagmite

Help me out here, because I'm terribly curious. What's your company / school / organizational winter holiday policy?

Several suppliers have written to inform us that they'll be closed from roughly Xmas to New Year's, which seems about right. But I've heard of much more liberal policies across the pond; one unnamed Swiss fine chemical supplier indicated closure from 12/21 through 1/2/13!

Twitter tweeps and Facebook friends seem to confirm the trend: everyone has this week off (except, well...me).

Readers: gimme a 'heads-up' in the comments: how long do you shut down for the break? Do schools get more or less time than industry? Is the trend nation-specific?

Thanks!  -SAO

Update (12/27) - Heard on the Twittersphere: Merck chemists get 12/24-1/2/13, and a tweep from a K-12 software company gets 12/25-1/1/13.

Fake Headlines: Curiosity Lander

At about 10:31 PDT, the newest lander, Curiosity, landed on the surface of Mars. Here's a few bon mots, partially culled from Twitter and the JPL livestream (also, try the Mission home page).

Source: Xeni Jardin | iO9 | JPL

1. Ironically, Curiosity first landed in a giant Martian ocean.

2. Senior rovers Spirit and Opportunity were waiting on the surface with party snacks and a banner.

3. The very first image Curiosity took, before the grainy wheel shot, showed some little green men sitting under a black obelisk.

4. Also sighted: a blue Police Box.

5. "Seven Minutes of Terror!" roller coaster underway at Disney World.

6. Next potential rover name: Marvin.

Why, yes, I am!
Source: JPL | NASA

For more (real) Curiosity updates, stay tuned to @MarsCuriosity on Twitter.